Students Bid Goodbye to several Retirees

By Chelsea Korn and Paige Glenn

Sterling High School has been privileged enough to call so many dedicated and wonderful teachers their employees over the last fifty-one years. However, we must again say goodbye to several of those teachers this year. Unfortunately, Sterling is saying goodbye to Mrs. White, Mr. Oakley, Mrs. Merlino, and Mr. Belay; all of whom retire this year. These teachers have left a positive impression on our school. First of these retirees is Mrs. White, one of Sterling’s Health, Driver’s Ed, and Physical Education teachers.

Mrs. White

Mrs. Jeanne White, Health and PE Department

Mrs. White has been teaching for 40 years. She first taught at Penn’s Grove High School, and then moved on to teaching at Wayne Hill High School, where Mrs. White was able to also coach basketball and gymnastics and teach dance and archery classes. Many people do not realize that teachers have other interests and passions that lead them into teaching. Mrs. White is a prime example of this. When she was young, she originally wanted to become a dancer. Her mother taught dance, and dance was her original passion. She also had five brothers, and therefore learned to love sports like field hockey and basketball. In high school, Mrs. White had her first experience in a P.E. class, having previously gone to a school that didn’t offer physical education classes. 

Mrs. White’s love for dance and sports eventually led her to become a P.E. and Health teacher where she could help young people learn to love sports just like she had. When I asked Mrs. White what the best part of her teaching career was, she simply replied “The kids and my colleagues.” She said many of her colleagues have become life long friends. She went on to say that she has taught thousands of students, and still has special relationships with those students years later. Especially when coaching, Mrs. White says, you are able to get to know your students better. Finally, when I asked Mrs. White what advice she would give to future teachers, she said she would like them to remember to “work hard, be open to students, and stay committed. It’s not easy, as every kid is different, and you should remember to be open to relationships with your students.”

Mr. Oakley

Mr. Rich Oakley, Science Department

When you walk down the science wing at Sterling you’ve probably seen Mr. Oakley once or twice. Mr. Oakley has been a teacher for 20 years, teaching science to high school students. Mr. Oakley always loved science. He said this was the main reason he became a teacher. He loved science and said he wanted to share a passion for science with kids and allow them to see science the same way he does. He says that science is cool because even if you don’t want a career that involves science, it’s still a great hobby. Also many hobbies involve science, and learning about the science behind your favorite hobbies can be very interesting.

            When I asked Mr. Oakley what his favorite part of teaching was he answered, “I love seeing a kid when that ‘light bulb’ goes off. It’s when they have the ‘aha’ moment when they’re working and finally understand.” His advice for future teachers would be to make sure the students (and sometimes teachers) understand the basic concepts first. With technology that keeps evolving, it’s easy to get caught up in the technology that you forget the main ideas. As for advice to students, Mr. Oakley says that when you get to college, enjoy yourself, but make sure the work comes first. “You get one shot at it. That’s it,” he says. 

He says that college and education in general is a gift, and not everybody is privileged enough to have an education. He told me how he took classes with a couple of men who just came back from Vietnam. He says they were the most impressive students he’s ever seen because they were alive and felt so privileged to get a chance at an education that they were denied. So don’t waste your education, but enjoy it as well. Mr. Oakley is looking forward to many things though now that he’s retired. He says he’s eager to spend time with his grandchildren, go fishing, and build things. He also says he is quite happy to be able to go out to his hammock at one in the afternoon, lie down, and take a nap.

Mrs. Merlino

         

Mrs. Diane Merlino, Foreign Language Department

         Felicidades, Mrs. Merlino!  Mrs. Merlino has been a teacher for 38, spending half of her career here at Sterling.  Her journey began in 1974 as an ESL teacher in the Camden school district, where she worked teaching English to students from Puerto Rico.  After the birth of her son, Mrs. Merlino began working the Camden County Educational Services Commission teaching ESL at private schools for eight years. Mrs. Merlino made the switch to teaching Spanish, briefly at Magnolia Public Schools, and then from 1995 on, here at Sterling.  Mrs. Merlino has also worked as an adjunct professor of Spanish at both Gloucester and Camden County Colleges. 

            Even though Mrs. Merlino is looking forward to her retirement, she will really miss the daily interaction with her students.  She says, “I have really enjoyed the students over the years. I will miss the colleagues that I worked with. This will actually be the first year not going to school whether it was teaching or learning, considering that I have gone to school from September to June since I was five.”  Mrs. Merlino plans to enjoy her retirement by volunteering at the animal shelter, relaxing a bit and traveling.  She would like to go back to Spain and Italy, and have an opportunity to visit Ireland and France.  Mrs. Merlino also wishes to see Machu Pichu in Peru, visit Argentina, and Cuba, where her grandfather is from.  She also anticipates spending more time with family and friends, and see things in the United States that she has not seen before.

Mr. Belay

Mr. Michael Belay, Health and PE Department

The Silver Scroll wishes a happy retirement to Mr. Belay!  Teaching for 33 years, 25 of those years at Sterling, Mr. Belay has been a valuable member of Sterling’s Health and PE Department.  Initially, Mr. Belay was inspired to become a teacher through his love of sports and fitness and his desire to stay involved in the field through teaching and coaching young athletes.  Even though he is looking forward to his retirement, Mr. Belay will miss the relationships with his students and colleagues.  However, he will not miss the paperwork! 

In his free time, Mr. Belay enjoys golf and baseball.  In fact, one of his fondest Sterling memories is shooting a hole-in-one during the 2011 faculty golf outing.  As encouragement to his students, Mr. Belay reminds them that the “first year is the toughest.  Experience helps you manage situations better.”  He also hopes that students enjoy and savor this times in their lives, while continuing to learn and remain involved.  Although Mr. Belay has had many other jobs outside of teaching, including driving a truck for a moving business, it is his dedication to his job here at Sterling for which he will most be missed!

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While it is unfortunate that these great and influential teachers must retire, we all wish them the best of luck in their retirement. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. However, all of the students and faculty at Sterling hope that in their retirement and this end of teaching, there is a new beginning for our teachers. We sincerely hope they have enjoyed teaching at Sterling High School. Congratulations on your retirements Mrs. White, Mr. Oakley, Mrs. Merlino, and Mr. Belay!